Every year when the regular Japanese baseball season is over, it is my task to compile final batting and pitching statistics for two annual publications. While it is often easy to pick out overachievers and underachievers each year as the season moves along, there are always some surprises in the final stats indicating certain players did far better or worse than expected.
Two of this year's underachievers, for example, were a couple of recent batting champions whose names appeared way down on the list of the leading hitters in the Central and Pacific Leagues in 2015.
Yomiuri Giants outfielder Hisayoshi Chono, the CL leading hitter in 2011 with a .316 average, hit just .251 this season and ranked at No. 22 on the list. Orix Buffaloes sweet-swinger Yoshio Itoi led the Pa League with a .331 average a year ago, but this time managed just a .262 figure, putting him at No. 21 on the list.